West Brom 0 - 1 WatfordHeurelho Gomes’s double penalty heroics help Watford past West Brom
Away team scorersBen Watson 27
A turbulent season for Saido Berahino slumped to another low with two penalty misses but the West Brom manager, Tony Pulis, did not blame the striker for the home defeat to Watford.
The 22-year-old striker saw both his spot-kicks saved by the brilliant Heurelho Gomes, whose heroics ensured that Ben Watson’s first-half goal halted a six-game run without a win for the Hornets in the Premier League.
Berahino, who in August had a written transfer request turned down by the club amid several rejected offers for him from Tottenham and has struggled for fitness and form since, saw his first penalty in the 67th minute beaten away by Gomes diving to his right.
With three minutes remaining, the Brazilian goalkeeper repeated the feat, this time getting down to his left-hand side to divert Berahino’s goal-bound effort away from the bottom corner of the net.
Asked if Berahino was feeling down after the game, Pulis said: “I would say that’s an understatement. He’s really disappointed. It’s a cruel game at times, but it happens. Good strikers miss penalties. That’s football. He’s a good player.
“Since I’ve been here he’s always been the penalty taker, and he’s always been competent as well. He wanted to take the second one. I think if he lacked any confidence he’d have walked away from it. You can’t have a go at him as the keeper has made a fantastic save for the second one. It was a well-struck penalty and it was a fantastic save.”
Berahino was not the only West Brom player to find Gomes in fantastic form.
The 35-year-old enjoyed a storming afternoon, producing smart saves to twice thwart Stéphane Sessègnon in the first half and acrobatically deny Gareth McAuley shortly after half-time.
A laboured start to the game was broken after 17 minutes when Adlène Guedioura’s low shot from the edge of area went narrowly wide. At the other end, Sessègnon’s well-hit free-kick brought a parried save from Gomes before the West Brom attacker then put the rebound wide. Shortly afterwards Watford were ahead. Guedioura’s corner was steered into the far corner of the net by the former Albion loan player Watson.
West Brom responded well to the setback and James McClean burst past two defenders before getting caught in two minds about whether to shoot or try to cross the ball for Berahino. In the end he did neither and a good position was wasted.
Just before half-time some neat build-up play between Craig Dawson and Salomón Rondón resulted in a shooting opportunity for Sessègnon but his effort was brilliantly diverted wide by the fingertips of Gomes.
McClean sent a shot into the side-netting within a minute of the restart before another fingertip save from Gomes, this time to help McAuley’s header over the crossbar. At the other end, Ben Foster produced a similarly fine save to deny the Watford captain, Troy Deeney.
“Like I said, it can be a cruel game at times,” said Pulis. “I thought we played well. We’ve had something like 40-odd crosses, 16 efforts on goal and two penalties and not got anything from the game. How that’s happened I just don’t know. But that’s the way it goes sometimes, it just wasn’t our day in front of goal. Obviously the lads are really disappointed, some of them put in really good performances.”
The hosts could not find a way past Gomes. He blotted his copybook as the midway-point of the second half approached by rushing out and bringing down Berahino. However, he redeemed himself by saving the West Brom striker’s penalty.
Albion applied some late pressure and it looked like they would be rewarded when Étienne Capoue tripped McClean for a second penalty. Berahino grabbed the ball, keen to make amends, but once more he saw his effort saved by Gomes as the FA Cup semi-finalists hung on for the three points.
Watford’s manager, Quique Sánchez Flores praised his goalkeeper. “We are happy we didn’t concede a lot of chances, just the two penalties, and when he had to Heurelho made the saves. He is important for us,” he said. I think a clean sheet is always important for the team. I’m not sure exactly how we conceded two penalties but he [Gomes] had to save them, this is normal.
“We are really happy for the performance of Heurelho because he is one of the main players for us this season.”
Guardian